Maryland

Maryland is a state of the United States located in the Mid-Atlantic region on the Chesapeake Bay. Colonized in 1632 by England, George Calvert named the province for Queen Henrietta Maria of France, the wife of King Charles I of England, the contemporary ruler of England. Calvert intended for the province to be a home for Catholics and other groups escaping persecution, and it was the home of religious freedom in America. In 1788, Maryland was the seventh state to ratify the US Constitution and join the United States, and the capital of Washington DC was established on land donated by the state. With a population of 6,006,401 people, it is one of the most densely-populated states in America, and it has a highly-diversified economy. Its capital is Annapolis, named for Anne Arundel - wife of Governor Cecil Calvert - and the federal district of Washington DC is located in southern Maryland. In 2010, Maryland's population consisted 60.1% of whites, 26% of African-Americans, .3% Native Americans, 2.1% Asians, 9% other races, and 2.6% multiracial.